Re: [PLUG] Re: Linux on the desktop

["Arthur S. Alexion" <arthur@alexion.com>]

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Paul wrote:

> Mark M. Hoffman wrote:
>
> > Nonsense.  Virus writers (in league with spammers) will "obviously" 
> > target the least secure systems (just like
> > the burglur... even the motivation is the same.)
> >
> >  
>
> If all other things are equal.  Maybe most virus writers don't know 
> how to attack Linux because their focus has been on M$ OSes.
>
> I think we should bring to light Linux's strengths and weaknesses by 
> kicking the crap out of it!

I assume most on this list have read at least one issue of 2600.  If you 
have, you may have noticed that the most effective malicious attacks 
involve ¨social engineering¨, not the technical exploitation of 
technical weakness.  Some of the most effective scams involve not a 
single line of malicious code.  Most effective viruses have had a 
combination of the two -- remember the ¨I love you¨ virus, etc. -- 
attacks that exploit human weakness to overcome a technical barrier.

In that sense we are as vulnerable as any system, but AV solutions are 
not the answer.  Common sense should be the guide.

Things like don't go to lunch with root logged into a terminal.  Try not 
to lose your Palm Pilot.  Don't put important passwords on post-it notes 
all over the office.  Use caution with installing unknown software -- 
software that does not come from a trusted source -- that requires root 
access for the install script*.  Just be careful.**

*I remember installing Evolution from a script that not only installed 
the PIM/MUA, but also changed my login manager, through me into a 
Gnome-only boot, and gave me an unexpected opportunity to learn about 
how xdm/gdm/kdm work, so that I could undo the damage.  It also removed 
my then-beloved jpilot and replaced pilot-link with a Ximian-ized 
version that was incompatible with the rest of my software that relied 
on it.

**I've taken steps like installing abiword on my windows system just so 
that I can view word docs that come from external sources.  A save to 
RTF strips any trojan horses lurking in VBA code if I want to later open 
the file in the real word program.

- -- 

- --

_______________________________________
Art Alexion
Arthur S. Alexion LLC
arthur [at] alexion [dot] com
aim: aalexion
sms: 2679725536 [at] messaging [dot] sprintpcs [dot] com

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